Showdown

Naruto smiled faintly and said, "Uncle Hiashi, I've already met my parents. Inside the seal in my stomach, I also met the Nine-Tails and learned the whole truth."

"Naruto, do you really know?" Hyuga Hiashi still found it hard to believe. What if this clever kid was just trying to trick him? If he accidentally revealed Naruto's identity and caused irreparable consequences, the Hyuga Clan might truly be finished. When that happened, the Third Hokage might very well make things difficult for them behind the scenes.

Seeing that Hyuga Hiashi was still probing and unwilling to believe him, Naruto decided to reveal everything after putting a more favorable spin on the facts.

"Uncle Hiashi, don't worry that I'm trying to trick you. I really know everything. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. My father was Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and my mother was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, Uzumaki Kushina. I, Uzumaki Naruto, am the true Son of a Hero, as well as this generation's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Am I right, Uncle Hiashi?"

Hearing Naruto state his identity so clearly, Hyuga Hiashi slowly turned around and faced him. "Naruto, since you already know your own identity, what do you think of Konoha?"

He had to make this clear. If Naruto had a vengeful, antisocial personality, Hyuga Hiashi would immediately report it to the Third Hokage. They could not let such a ticking time bomb remain in the village.

"Uncle Hiashi, I don't want to lie to you. Some people in the village deserve to die, don't they? They were responsible for my miserable childhood, and one day, I'll make them taste pain. As for the other villagers, ignorance is no crime. The greatest torment for them is not tormenting them at all—letting them spend every day in a confused, dazed state of mind. Isn't that better?"

Naruto was telling the truth. Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and those two Hokage advisors would only hinder Konoha's development if they remained. Sooner or later, they had to be removed.

Seeing that Naruto was not the typical black-and-white type, Hyuga Hiashi let out a slight sigh of relief. That meant there was still room for negotiation.

"We support your decision. Now that you know you are the Fourth Hokage's son, let's return to our earlier topic. We believe you have a very good chance of becoming Hokage. Your background is impeccable. Only your identity as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki somewhat affects your competitiveness."

After all, no one wanted to be led to greater strength by someone who could not even control his own power and might lose control at any moment.

"Don't worry, Uncle Hiashi. I've already reconciled with the Nine-Tails inside me. Once my body has fully matured, I'll be able to completely master the Nine-Tails' power and become a true perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!" Naruto revealed a little of his hand to Hyuga Hiashi.

"What? You mean you can already control the Nine-Tails? Could this be the contingency the Fourth Hokage and Uzumaki Kushina left behind? That's terrifying!"

Hyuga Hiashi looked utterly incredulous. This was the Nine-Tails, the strongest of all Tailed Beasts. Even half of the Nine-Tails could easily crush every Tailed Beast other than the Eight-Tails!

"Not control, Uncle Hiashi. We're friends!" Naruto smiled faintly, wearing a confident expression.

Hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi became somewhat convinced. After all, if someone who knew the truth discovered that the Nine-Tails inside them had caused them so much trouble, they would definitely resent it at first. Its existence was precisely why they had suffered for so many years!

Yet Naruto's every word conveyed trust in the Nine-Tails, and he called it a friend. That meant they might truly have become friends.

"Then Naruto, tell me. Just how strong are you now?" Hyuga Hiashi asked curiously. From Naruto's confident words, he could tell that Naruto should already possess considerable strength.

Could he be stronger than Neji, the one called a genius? That was truly something to look forward to.

If Naruto learned that he was still being compared to Neji Hyuga, he would laugh his head off. The current him was an opponent Neji Hyuga could never defeat, even at full strength.

"Uncle, you have the Byakugan. Why not just take a look?" Naruto could not help teasing him. He clearly had the Byakugan, yet was reluctant to use it. If not now, then when?

"Hahahaha, I forgot! I forgot! Let me see!" Hyuga Hiashi laughed awkwardly. He had been so focused on observing the strength of the surrounding Anbu that he had subconsciously overlooked Naruto's presence.

"Byakugan, activate!" Hyuga Hiashi activated his Byakugan. Veins bulged around his eyes as he turned his gaze toward Naruto, only to be instantly astonished by Naruto's Chakra.

"Naruto, how can you have so much Chakra at your age? You've already reached the standard of an Elite Jonin. Even with Uzumaki Clan bloodline, it shouldn't boost your Chakra this much!"

Hyuga Hiashi voiced his confusion.

"Uncle Hiashi, all I can say is that it's talent. Everything is decided by fate! Let me reveal a little more: under normal circumstances, my strength is around the Elite Jonin level." Naruto dropped another bombshell, instantly shocking Hyuga Hiashi.

Konoha was a place that produced countless geniuses, but even among Konoha's geniuses, there were geniuses among geniuses.

For example, Kakashi Hatake. At the age of five, after his father, Konoha's White Fang, committed suicide, he applied to graduate early. By the age of twelve, Kakashi had already become a Jonin. That showed just how powerful his talent was.

Then there was the current Uchiha Itachi. He entered the Ninja Academy at six, graduated successfully at seven, awakened the Sharingan at eight, and at ten became the first genius to pass the Chunin Exams alone.

Yet even those two geniuses could not compare to the current Naruto. At six years old, he had already reached the strength of an Elite Jonin.

"Uncle Hiashi, are you already this surprised? I haven't even told you about my hidden strength yet." Seeing Hyuga Hiashi's stunned expression, Naruto intended to strike while the iron was hot.

Hyuga Hiashi now was a stark contrast to his earlier composed and calculating demeanor.

"What? Naruto, you still have hidden strength? Tell me quickly, what else are you hiding?" Hyuga Hiashi looked unconvinced. Having the strength of an Elite Jonin at six was already outrageously defiant of the heavens. Yet Naruto had apparently still been holding back. Just what other methods did he have?

"Could it be... the Nine-Tails' power?" Hyuga Hiashi quickly thought of it.

"That's right, Uncle Hiashi. I can already completely control the Nine-Tails' power. In battle, the Nine-Tails will continuously provide me with Chakra. That's where my advantage lies. And as I mentioned before, inside the seal in my stomach, I met my father and mother."

"With their help, I successfully undid the Nine-Tails' seal. And before my father left, he gave me one final gift."

Naruto paused, but Hyuga Hiashi began asking questions again.

"What? Naruto, with the Nine-Tails' help, what level will your strength reach? Kage-level? But you probably don't know many techniques yet, right? What did Minato leave you before he departed?"

Hyuga Hiashi turned into a curious child, continuously firing questions at Naruto.

"With the Nine-Tails' help, defeating the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would be no problem! As for the gift my father left me, it was the technique he became famous for, the Flying Thunder God Technique, as well as the hand-signless Ninjutsu, Rasengan!"

Naruto's words brought Hyuga Hiashi immense shock. He no longer knew how many times he had been shocked today!

"Naruto, are you saying the Fourth Hokage left you the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Rasengan? Have you mastered them both?" Hyuga Hiashi asked.

"I only learned the Rasengan, that hand-signless Ninjutsu. The Flying Thunder God Technique is much more difficult to train in, so I haven't learned it yet!" Naruto would not give Hyuga Hiashi too many details.

He only said that he had learned the Rasengan. Hyuga Hiashi's jaw had dropped so far that it could not be pulled back up.

This was the Fourth Hokage's most famous offensive Ninjutsu, the Rasengan.

And the Flying Thunder God Technique was Space-Time Ninjutsu, famously difficult to learn. Hyuga Hiashi could more or less accept that Naruto had failed to learn it, but learning the Rasengan was still absurd. It was an A-rank Ninjutsu, and its difficulty was no joke.

"Naruto, your current strength has already reached the Elite Jonin level. With the Nine-Tails' help, you can even gain strength somewhat greater than Kage-level. So what are you planning to do next? You aren't going to immediately make a move against certain people in the village, are you? That would not be good for you!"

Hyuga Hiashi asked anxiously. If Naruto were to move against anyone in the village, the most likely targets would be Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō. Those two were Konoha's current upper echelon. If Naruto really succeeded in assassinating them, he would have to abandon some of his ties in the village and seek refuge elsewhere.

"Of course not, Uncle Hiashi. If I wanted to assassinate someone, I might have acted long ago. Why would I need to wait until today?" Naruto did not say much more.

"Then Naruto, how do you want me to handle everything you revealed today? Should I report the situation to the Third Hokage?" Knowing that Naruto might cause destruction surpassing that of the Nine-Tails' attack back then, Hyuga Hiashi was somewhat afraid. What if he mishandled this and the Hyuga Clan was wiped out?

"If possible, I hope you can keep it secret, Uncle Hiashi. Once I have the freedom to move freely in the ninja world, you can report it to the Third Hokage."

Since Hyuga Hiashi had asked this, it meant that deep down, he also did not want Hiruzen Sarutobi to know too much. In his view, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's downfall was inevitable. After all, he was already old.

Naruto, on the other hand, was a rising new star. He had to firmly latch onto Naruto's thigh.

"Understood, Naruto. With your potential and strength, along with your status as the Son of a Hero, I imagine becoming Hokage will be a very smooth matter when the time comes!"

Hyuga Hiashi regained his confident expression. It turned out Naruto knew everything, so he no longer needed to worry that what the villagers said would have any effect on Naruto.

"So, Uncle Hiashi, I hope the Hyuga Clan can support me. If I become Hokage later on, I'm sure the Hyuga Clan will receive its corresponding rewards."

"Naruto, since you've said that, then I will definitely support you. I only hope that once you become Hokage, you won't forget people like us!"

"Uncle Hiashi, I promise I won't. We have a deal: if I become Hokage, I won't marry into the Hyuga family, but I will definitely marry Hinata."

After learning so much, Hyuga Hiashi's fate had become tightly bound to Naruto's. Hyuga Hiashi smiled. "Then it's a deal!"

"It's a deal!"

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